US 12,076,918 B2
Additive manufacturing apparatuses and methods for using the same
Vadim Bromberg, Niskayuna, NY (US); John Sterle, Clifton Park, NY (US); Victor Fulton, Amelia, OH (US); Tyler Andrew Griffith, Norwood, OH (US); Peter Douglas Lueschen, Covington, KY (US); Carlos H. Bonilla, Lebanon, OH (US); Joseph L. Smolenski, Singerlands, NY (US); Timothy Francis Andrews, Sharonville, OH (US); and Younkoo Jeong, Clifton Park, NY (US)
Assigned to General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
Appl. No. 17/608,809
Filed by General Electric Company, Schenectady, NY (US)
PCT Filed May 22, 2020, PCT No. PCT/US2020/034259
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Nov. 4, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/237165, PCT Pub. Date Nov. 26, 2020.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/851,946, filed on May 23, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0314329 A1, Oct. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. B33Y 30/00 (2015.01); B22F 10/68 (2021.01); B22F 10/73 (2021.01); B22F 10/80 (2021.01); B22F 12/00 (2021.01); B22F 12/17 (2021.01); B22F 12/52 (2021.01); B22F 12/53 (2021.01); B22F 12/55 (2021.01); B22F 12/63 (2021.01); B22F 12/67 (2021.01); B22F 12/70 (2021.01); B22F 12/90 (2021.01); B28B 1/00 (2006.01); B29C 64/153 (2017.01); B33Y 40/00 (2020.01); B33Y 50/00 (2015.01)
CPC B29C 64/153 (2017.08) [B22F 10/68 (2021.01); B22F 10/73 (2021.01); B22F 10/80 (2021.01); B22F 12/222 (2021.01); B22F 12/38 (2021.01); B22F 12/53 (2021.01); B22F 12/70 (2021.01); B22F 12/90 (2021.01); B28B 1/001 (2013.01); B33Y 30/00 (2014.12); B33Y 40/00 (2014.12); B33Y 50/00 (2014.12); B22F 12/17 (2021.01); B22F 12/52 (2021.01); B22F 12/55 (2021.01); B22F 12/63 (2021.01); B22F 12/67 (2021.01)] 18 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An additive manufacturing apparatus comprising:
a support chassis comprising:
a print bay, a build bay, and a material supply bay, each bay comprising an upper compartment and a lower compartment;
a pair of lower horizontal support members;
a pair of upper horizontal support members; and
a plurality of pairs of vertical support members extending between the pair of lower horizontal support members and the pair of upper horizontal support members, the plurality of pairs of vertical support members provided between the print bay, the build bay, and the material supply bay;
a working surface separating each of the print bay, the build bay, and the material supply bay into the upper compartment and the lower compartment, the lower compartment of the build bay isolated from the lower compartment of the print bay and the lower compartment of the material supply bay by a pair of bulkheads extending between a respective pair of the plurality of pairs of vertical support members; and
an actuator assembly comprising a recoat head, the recoat head comprising a containment housing, wherein:
a powder recovery slot extends through the working surface in one of the build bay or the material supply bay;
a recovery funnel is coupled to the powder recovery slot; and
a vacuum system is coupled to the recovery funnel and the containment housing, the vacuum system applying a negative pressure to the recovery funnel, the powder recovery slot, and the containment housing.